Brough Superior SS100 returns

A 90th anniversary version of the Brough Superior SS100 on which T.E. Lawrence of Arabia met his fate is being released in limited numbers in 2014.
It’s the first all-new bike from the legendary British manufacturer in more than 70 years and will come with a premium price tag of about $65,000.
The Brough Superior SS100 is planned to be the first of a range of exclusive bikes from the brand now owned by the Austrian-based businessman Mark Upham.
It is a beautifully naked cafe racer with not even paint to interrupt the raw beauty of the machine. I love the double right-sided chromed bazooka pipes, solo seat and bomb-style chrome fuel tank.
The SS100 is powered by an eight-valve DOHC 997cc V-twin built by French firm Boxer Design. It comes as a 73kW unit but can be tuned up to 102kW at the customer’s request.
Befitting a tradition of exotic materials, the frame is a mix of steel and titanium, the swingarm is an aluminum-magnesium composite, it has a girder-style ‘Fior’ double-wishbone fork and has Öhlins shock absorbers front and rear.
To keep the classic look and reduce gyroscopic forces, the Berlinger-designed front 230mm disc brakes are disguised to look a little like a drum brake.
Also, to keep that classic feel, the wheels are 18”, but unlike classic bikes, it has a dry weight of just 180kg.
The first Brough Superior prototype was made in 1919 and went into production in 1921.
In 1925, the company produced the venerable SS100 which means SuperSport 100 because it was tested at 100mph (160km/h) and even came with a written guarantee to hit the old “ton”.
Over the next 20 years, George Brough built 3000 bikes, but the SS100 was the most respected model with famous owners such as Lawrence of Arabia who owned seven in a row.